Page 80 of The Right Kind of Wrong

CHAPTER 29

Evelyn

“It's going to be okay,” Nathan said quietly enough for only me to hear. He squeezed my hand and placed a kiss on my cheek while we waited in the Thompsons’ office. Nathan and I had been the first to arrive and we were waiting for my parents, Hannah, and Carter. I sighed, relieved that at least for a few moments I could receive Nathan's comfort.

David and Jacqueline Thompson, Jenna's parents, were well aware of my relationship with Nathan, so hiding in front of them wasn't necessary. Not only that, but I'd also learned that they had been quite close with Nana for the past few years; both of them working as her confidants when it came to her finances and problems with my mom, which had been many.

I had been in the dark regarding the things my parents had done in order to “save” the company, and each thing was more painful than the last. More than anything, it was disappointing. I nuzzled Nathan's neck, closing my eyes while he held me. He was talking to David about the divorce but I didn't really care to listen to it. Just the fact that he was holding me made me feel better.

Starting over in a new city, in a new state sounded more appealing every second that went by. Fighting, arguing, being surrounded by so much hate was just so exhausting. I was so emotionally drained that I felt that literally, the ones holding me up were the people that supported me because I could no longer stand on my own.

Maybe it was the fact that we were about to officially listen to my grandma's last wishes, but I just felt…tired.

Nathan pressed a kiss on my forehead, and it wasn't until then that I realized that everyone had stopped talking. My eyes fluttered open and I saw his eyes set on me, his forehead creased with worry.

“I'm fine.” I leaned into the comfort his touch offered again.

“You're not. You're exhausted” Worried, he cupped my face in his hands. “We should go to the doctor.”

“I'm fine, Nathan. There's no need to go if I'm completely fine, I'm just tired.”

“I bet your grandmother wouldn't agree at all.” My head snapped up, following the voice. Carter looked down on me with concern and frustration on his features. Though he was angry, I couldn't stop myself from jumping on my feet and into his arms. He returned the hug immediately, holding me tight against his chest.

“My beautiful girl,” he whispered brokenly. There was so much emotion in his voice and when I looked at his face, I noticed how worn out and tired he seemed. His eyes, they were almost lifeless. Fear invaded me at the thought that he could possibly leave me soon as well and I shook my head in denial, hugging him again.

“You can't leave too,” I said so that only he'd hear. My eyes had filled with tears and my heart started to pound against my chest; he was the closest person left to Nana left and I loved him dearly. I refused to let him go. “Please, you need to be strong.”

“You do too, darling.”

Someone in the room cleared their throat, forcing us to break the hug. My mom glared at me, seemingly disappointed at the fact that I'd let someone of “lower class” embrace me that way. I ignored her, letting Carter greet Nathan and sitting between both of them. Hannah sat on the other side with my parents, my mother holding her hand in reassurance.

My gaze lingered on their hands for a moment too long. She never had those gestures with me.

I swallowed, ignoring the pain that settled in my heart. It wasn't worth it.

“Okay, I believe everyone is here,” David said with a tight smile. I couldn't imagine this being easy for him either. The Thompsons never had a strong relationship with my parents but as acquaintances, I was sure my parents had expected them to tell them anything regarding Nana.

David let out a breath and picked up a large folder from his desk and took out a single sheet of paper. He cleared his throat and began.

I sighed, tuning out most of what he said. About fifteen minutes had to have passed when I heard the rustling of papers, my breath catching in my throat when I saw David taking out a small stack of envelopes. The smile on my mother’s face made me nauseous.

He proceeded to hand each of us an envelope with our names written in the unmistakable cursive of Nana's. A sad smile formed on my lips as my fingers traced her handwriting. I wondered how long before her death she'd written this and closed my eyes, a single tear rolling down my cheek. Faintly, I heard the envelopes around me being opened but I couldn't bring myself to open mine.

Nathan opened his envelope and a genuine smile formed on his lips as read whatever was written in it. Carter was the same, though I could tell the nostalgia was still very much present in his features. When I glanced over to my mom, however, she was fuming. Hannah looked like she had just received the worst news ever and my dad was glaring at me.

“Is this it?” My mom asked David, throwing down her envelope on the desk. “Because that can't be it.”

“I'm afraid that's it, Elizabeth.” David looked over at me, giving me a small smile. “We can ask everyone to leave if you want to open the envelope on your own.”

“Do I have to do it here?” I asked quietly.

“Of course not, you can do it whenever you feel ready.”

“Are you kidding me?” Hannah hissed, shaking her head. “We need to know what her letter says.”

“If you needed to know what it says, your grandmother would have left it addressed to all of you, don't you think?” Carter's voice caught everyone off guard, the tone foreign for his usually calm demeanor.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” My dad asked, outraged that Carter dared say something.

---